506 Carver CPMY, at what seas safe?

Have Fun Docking

This boat is like a sail on a windy day trying to dock - probably even more so with the tides. We dont have those up here on the Great Lakes and it was still a bear. Nice boat, Good Interior - Floating Condo. Designed to stay at the dock. Carver's tend to be a "Wet" boat in most sea conditions. You should check out the 530 Voyager if you are dead set on Carver - The ride tends to be a little better in 1-2's, 3-4's.

Since you asked....

..., no, I would never buy a Carver.
Indeed, I'm glad (relieved) to see that another Forum participant truly "understands" whazzup with Carver and the other price boat builders.
Fine at the dock, just don't bet the ranch. (You did say "sea state", right?).
For a better quantification of what I'm trying to convey, see an article by a qualified (and not afraid to offend) boat surveyor here:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/Carver370.htm
Don't (cant?) believe it. Well, see one for yourself here:
http://www.**************/core/list...&units=Feet&checked_boats=1302409&slim=quick&
Itz no wonder Pascoe (that surveyor) actually likes to go our after hurricanes hit Florida, and see "what they are made out of".
Cheers!
PS - Review this photo of a hull damaged 2001 Carver 506 carefully: that hull "thickness" is all that separates you and your loved ones (hopefully no lawyers on board) from the deep blue sea.

Hull thickness is not a measure of anything but thickness. Airplane hulls and car doors are thinner than any boat yet nobody expects them to be different. Few boats of any make will survive repeated smashing against a dock or piling apparently shown in your picture. That photo proves nothing other than something will break when subjected to conditions beyond its design capabilities. Airplanes and cars would probably have been damaged by the same abuse shown.

AC,
Let's be honest, it's a Carver. They are not meant for the deep blue water cruising. Nice boats, but wouldn't go out over 5-6 footers in it. Light bow makes them a little squirrely in a quarter sea. Not much flare so ride does get wet. I had a 45-odd footer in a steep close chop once and although I really wasn't worried, it was pitching and yawing all over. So even if you could take large seas, it may very well be uncomfortable.
What type of cruising are you planning? If you're looking for more fair-weathered cruising or inside passages, it could be a nice boat.
Capt Tom

They may be a fine boat, but would you proudly wear the hat?

Carver

It is better to be cruising in a Carver than watching the Bertrams from the beach!
I sold a 43 Carver aft cabin with Cummins diesels few years ago for a client. The boat had two watermakers, so I asked the owner why he had two of them, and he said he wanted to make sure he had water for a long trip. Of course I had to ask where did he go and he said he went to Venezuela and back. Island to island with good weather only.
The Carver is designed like most motoryachts of its size to cruise in reasonable conditions. It is fast enough to get back inside if the weather starts to get worse, most owners are smart enough to check a forecast before they go and act accordingly. It is not designed for offshore passages but is not priced that way either, a boat a few years old might be a good value for a coastal cruiser.

Don't get me wrong, Carvers are nice boats. Great party boats, and cruise very nicely in flat waters. Can even handle some rough stuff. But even my old 34 Silverton could make it to Venezuela in good weather. They are not your hardy sportfishermen, like the Berts or Hatts, and should respect the oceans.
I enjoy driving Carvers, most have been very smooth with nice accommodations. Just know what reasonable conditions are, and don't beat up the yacht or kill yourself.

voyager much better?

I posted this on a different newer thread before seeing your discussion here.

Carver says they improved their manuf. process in the late 90's with metal stringers, etc. Did the hulls get any thicker? Doesn't look like it from the photo.

If I added an active stabilizer would that help much? I want to fish for hours at a time off Catalina or down by San Diego. I'm a little fair weather to begin with, so I could duck behind an island if needed. Guess I'd have to slow down, with bigger chop, due to the banging from the light hull, flat in the back, wide in the front hull.

Do I understand it right?

Will this boat decay faster than a redone 1978 Hatt Yachtfish, with equal efforts at maintenance? I'm looking at less money in, but more fuel, and slower top speed with the older boat.

If I'm using it to entertain male business clients, then I guess neither would do - would have to go to a macho Hatt convertible.

Chris Amsden in SoCal

Active stabilizers are a big improvement to most any boat and most boats will handle rougher seas than most people would want to be out in especially clients. You are not looking at passage makers and i doubt they would fit your entertainment needs. IMO few production boats are suitable for passage making regardless of the brand or marketing hype anyway. Smart boaters are fair weather boaters and smashing into big seas is to be avoided if possible. IMO redoing a 1978 boat is far more extensive than people realize. Every wire, pipe, fitting, window, hatch and part needs to be removed, inspected and probably replaced. Only then would the boat be a good as new and still suffer from being and older design.

I'd rather be out in heavy seas even in the smaller Carvers like mine than in ANY Silverton. Those things are just top heavy and tipsy. Now...back to the boat in question...I think you are talking about the 504 CPMY, and not the 506 Aft Cabin Motor Yacht, as in Carver model designation...anything ending in 4 was a CPMY, and ending in 6 is a std aft cabin. I've been at the same Carver dealership for 26 years, and have great respect for their product, as do many of the marinas in my area that have rescued boats that have run aground.

OH...and my boat is a very dry running boat. It has a great Carolina Flair and a nice deep entry.